Maraprince
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Posts posted by Maraprince
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Doing great thanks, how you doing, you getting excited about the Allure ? :D
Been there done that with DD, looking forward to getting back to Traditional Dining.
With MDR I know where and when my dinner will be every night of my cruise...no checking .."ooh which restaurant did I book tonight" or "oh dear they have to reschedule the big show will I need to change my DD reservation".
No stress, no DD thank you. But hey that is just me, no worries :D
I'm really surprised that Johnny Rockets was turned into an order and pick up vendor. Most of the fun of going to JR is the singing/dancing wait staff and the old style diner atmosphere. So sad! I wonder what the head of JR would say to what has happened to his company!
MARAPRINCE
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Doing great thanks, how you doing, you getting excited about the Allure ? :D
Been there done that with DD, looking forward to getting back to Traditional Dining.
With MDR I know where and when my dinner will be every night of my cruise...no checking .."ooh which restaurant did I book tonight" or "oh dear they have to reschedule the big show will I need to change my DD reservation".
No stress, no DD thank you. But hey that is just me, no worries :D
Your reasons are pretty much the same as mine for not liking DD! I go on a vacation to get away from all scheduling and to look forward to having a familiar face at the dining room to greet and serve me. Not a fan of all that is involved to allow enough time to eat and still make the shows.
No way would have DD worked in China! The staff has enough to deal with as far as renovations going on while the ship is at sea and the menu changes as well as other changes. Not a good idea to roll something out fleet wise with so many bugs to still be worked out.
I may consider the Allure now that regular late seating will be available. Finally attained diamond status and RCCL pulls a fast one on their loyal customers. At least I sailed on Explorer as a diamond without having to deal with DD!
MARARINCE
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Would this category put us mid ship?
MARAPRINCE
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A mini-suite would be the cabin with the most space as well as a privacy curtain. However, there is a deluxe balcony cabin with a love seat that opens to a sleeper. It is small for three in my opinion, but doable. :)
What category would that be that has the love seat that opens up to a sleeper? We have had a similar type cabin on Carnival and it seems to work well for us. Not too concerned about the size of the balcony.
Thanks.
MARAPRINCE
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Want to book a mid ship balcony cabin for 3 adults, no overhead beds, and wondering what would be the best category to consider? Do we need to book a mini suite or woud a regular balcony give us enough space?
MARAPRINCE
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[quote name='andrea lynn']After many conversations with the dining staff they were very vocal about their complaints... #1 - Being transferred against their wishes (I am not sure how their contract reads however I am sure that RCCL has themselves covered on transfers) #2 - DD caused them to lose out on tips and #3 Overall CHANGE to the MDR (Dynamic Dining). Most of them had worked on the Allure and Oasis so they were certainly use to the hustle and bustle. Had the service been on par with my past RCCL experiences I would have had no objection to nightly tipping, but they couldn't even provide us with the basics like keeping the water glasses full and smiling. While I agree that they now were assigned additional tasks that kept them busy, customer service is a no brainier when you work for tips. We took good care of our stateroom attendant.
I can't agree that the [COLOR=magenta]Quantum Class was designed for first time cruisers, [/COLOR][COLOR=black]as I am not a first time cruiser[/COLOR] and I had the BEST vacation ever on board Lady Q! After seeing the shows a few times I want something new/more and that is what Lady Q provided me with. Our sailing didn't have many kids on it, so I cannot comment on the generational experience, but I can say that the older folks were enjoying the bumper cars and I Fly more than I. Even those confined to wheelchairs would hang out in the Sea Plex watching the bumper cars or other activities interacting with the folks participating.[/quote]
This is what is being said in travel industry magazines by travel professionals. Q has limited views of the sea, no large main room that can be divided into smaller venues as needed -- either for entainment or dining, RCCL is not breaking new ground with Q as higher end lines provide better wi fi access for free. Cabin bathrooms were in need of better utilization of space as were the cabins themselves. With Oasis they broke new ground with the largest ship afloat and largest passenger capacity, the unusual design of the ship, water show at sea, etc. Q doesn't even come close! Sorry DD is not a new innovation, NCL already beat them on this and does it so much better.
Eliminating assistant waiters will not be a good thing in the long run. Up to now, the Q has not sailed at maximum passenger capacity and in some of the dining venues, the service is poor due to the some of wait staff who are not happy to begin with and passengers asking for items that are a "special" order and should be part of the regular menu. When you have passengers asking for items over and over in different restaurants, RCCL should consider adding them to the regular menu. This would cut down on the extra time involved with the discussion that ensues between waiter and diners both wanting and requesting items not on the menu.
If your staff is not happy, it affects the mood of the entire ship. You have to remember that for some of the staff they will be switched again in less than 6 months when Q goes to Asia! Sure this affects their tips. Just when they are getting to know Q, they will start the process all over again with another ship.
The best thing to come out of Q being in Bayonne is the upgraded terminal that was long overdue.
MARAPRINCE -
Just watched the maiden voyage of Oasis yesterday to get a comparison of how the ship is versus the changes that will be made to it to become a "cousin" to Q.
It was amazing to hear how many restaurants Oasis actually has to serve almost twice the amount of passengers that Q has. 15,000 pieces of luggage to be loaded and delivered to passengers. Wow! Q seems to have issues with service in the dining rooms and staff that is not familiar with the menus/choices available. This seems to be a repeating story.
Oasis seems to have the nice flow that Q doesn't. As someone pointed out, Q seems to be built for first time passengers who are used to land based vacation. Roller skating replacing the ice rink and ice shows, bumper cars, flight similator, no longer the Johnny Rockets that you can eat in -- more of a fast food to go now, etc. Also it was pointed out in several travel magazines that too much focus is being placed on the millenials rather than trying to please and attract multi generational families who actually spend more money treating the kids and grandkids.
MARAPRINCE -
OP, I think this addresses a lot of your concerns.
The biggest "mistake" that RCCL made was to mislead passengers booking over a year out that Q would be similar in many way to the Oasis. Either they wanted to keep everything super secret or they forgot to tell their booking staff that the Q would break the mold!:confused:
If there was even a small hint dropped that Q would be very different from every other ship, may be, just may be some of the earliest booking passengers would not have felt they were misled.
Many of the IT systems required for booking meals and shows were not working properly along with the wrist bands. How about some of the passengers thinking that their pre sailing photos had been loaded into the system along with the luggage tracking only to find out new photo were required when checking in. But I think the best by far was having some luggage not delivered until 2 PM on day 2! Or, the tablets losing the food orders and the waiter coming back to the table with a pad and pencil or the robotic bartenders not functioning properly and breaking things.
You could sell all the mishaps as a film comedy. Folks, you can't make this stuff up!:D
MARAPRINCE
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As pointed out in an earlier post, many bookings were made over a year before information about Q was even being speculated about. At that time, the push was to get passengers to book. No information was forth coming about DD. Passengers were either selecting MTD or traditional when they made their bookings.
The biggest gap was getting any information on the ship and what would be on it. Bumper cars was the one thing that was always put out there. Even the reserving of shows was not mentioned. Just as the assumption that there would be a main promendade and an ice show.
Definitely cannot shift the blame on passengers. RCCL bears a lot the responsibility by not giving information out. Passengers felt "tricked" into expecting what up until this point had become the norm with some additional features added similar to the Oasis -- not a complete departure from everything that went before Q.
We started questioning our decision about booking Q because of the lack of info first and then when details started coming out, we backed away fully knowing it was not what we wanted in a cruise.
MARAPRINCE
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I know it is still early in the cruise, but I hope you will be attending the "sales promo" that happens towards the end to let everyone know what is new with Carnival for the future. We are hearing of longer sailings -- 10-14 days -- with new ports for the Caribbean and Mexico. Splendor is not one of the ships mentioned (so far) that will be doing these longer sailings. Supposedly about 20 sailings for later 2015 and 2016 since some of the shorter sailings had to be cancelled to accommodate the longer ones.
We are hoping that NYC will be able to benefit from one of these longer sailings.
Thanks!
MARAPRINCE
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Golden Rule in well designed Public Places especially Nursing Homes
is change the Carpet / Tile colour any where there is a change in
the floor .
Apparently RCCL never heard of the concept.
Several years ago my cousin arrived at a hotel in Mexico and took a very bad tumble right on her knee because of not being able to see the different level in the white marble tile used in the lobby. She hadn't even made it to the check in desk -- just entered from outside into the lobby and never saw the steps going down. Hotel called an ambulance, she had surgery and recommended to follow up with her doctor back home. Hotel refunded entire money for the room, booked her return ticket home at their expense and offered a future booking credit.
Once she returned home, she underwent 2 more surgeries and had to have metal rod inserted between the knee and ankle to keep it rigid. A year later, one more surgery to have the metal removed. It truly was a memorable vacation.
MARAPRINCE
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As to special inaugural goodies and events, we haven't seen it. We sailed on the inaugural of the Independence of the Seas back in 2008 and the Royal Princess last year and saw no difference from a regular cruise. I guess the days of freebies are pretty much over.
Freebies are one thing, but to sell the sailing at and sometimes above the normal going rate, call it an "ignaural", have a lot of the high tech gizmos not working correctly, misrepresent it almost from the very beginning by not telling passengers about DD and all the other major changes, tout that every day (or so) you should expect to see goodies appear in your cabin is just plain crazy.
Sure, RCCL ended up giving OBCs and such, but it really diminished the overall expectations that many were led to believe they would get to experience.
Seems like anyone who sails on Q is being treated like an experiment so that by the time it goes over to China with more changes, etc. it may almost be working properly. Really not fair.
MARAPRINCE
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I have read and participated on the threads re DD and all the tech glitches on Quantum and just wanted to relay something positive that happened on the ship and prove that they do listen.
on the 2 nighter , 31st October , I noticed on leaving Boleros that the floor level changed without any visual warning, or should I say my back and hip noticed! :eek: The carpet was the same swirly pattern upto the marble floor of the Royal Esplanade.
I mentioned it to 2 members of staff, one on Guest services and A.Nother, sorry forget who.
The floor level caught me out a second time jarring my back. Hubby walks with a stick so I warned him to be careful when exiting Boleros, going in wasn't a problem.
The floor level only changed by a matter of 3 or 4 inches over 12-16 inches but when you have walking dificulties or a bad back it could take you unawares.
On the TA a gentleman called Robert from Miami Marketing went around the Concierge lounge speaking to guests asking for feedback on the ship and I mentioned my concerns about the problem with the floor level and that I didn't think I was taken seriously. He took my details.
Long story short . Towards the end of the TA the carpeting had been changed at the entrance to Boleros from the swirly pattern in the problem area to a panel of sold block burgundy.Now when you stand on the Royal Esplanade looking into Boleros it is very obvious the floor level changes, even if it is only ever so slightly, my back appreciates the visual reminder:)
So thank you Robert from Marketing , I am sorry I did not see you personally to thank you for listening to my concerns.
I know RCI read these boards and hope they pass on a message:)
It is amazing that such a basic safety issue would escape notice except for a perceptive passenger. RCCL should be aware of the dangers since there will be passengers in wheelchairs and with mobility issues during future voyages along with other passengers who are texting or otherwise engaged and not really looking where they are walking.
Good that you spoke up and brought it to their attention before someone was seriously injured.
MARAPRINCE
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As per the words of a well known Cruise Director
" there isn't a venue safe enough on Anthem .....". The principal will be the same for Quantum.
The floor level in 270 changes so much and we have all seen how manic people get who take part in Quest, running all over the place, would be a serious accident waiting to happen in 270.
I think the bigger concern is why would you build a ship with no one large venue that could be converted as needed into smaller rooms for different actitivies to take place at the same time. Already, all the various DD venues do not even accommodate 1/2 of the passengers unlike the 2 fixed first and second seatings along with some of the MTD passengers. Then when the ship moves to China eliminating the Music Hall to increase the size of the casino. Not getting the rationale that RCCL is using.
MARAPRINCE
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Greygoose, we were on Breakaway's 11/9 sailing and felt the exact same way. We are Diamond on RCI, that was our first experience with NCL, and we were so surprised and impressed at the NCL product. The entertainment was top notch and we actually had more fun on the Breakaway than we had on our last RCI cruise on the Allure, which was positively stunning -- I never expected that. It's also worth noting that we had none of the little annoying Guest Services issues that we've had on other recent cruises. None. My only trip to Guest Services was to pay down some of my bill with cash won in the casino :D. The Freestyle Dining system on board proved to be a well-oiled machine that enabled spontaneity and provided options. It was actually harder to get a seat in a pay venue than an included venue, contrary to what I'd been told to expect.
Bottom line is RCI has some serious competition, and it will only grow stiffer as NCL releases its next round of Quantum-sized new builds starting late next year. Was the Breakaway perfect? No, of course not, and there are still things RCI does better... but my view is RCI needs to continue to earn my business each time I step on board next year, and if they don't I know now that I have an attractive alternative. I'm not concerned at all as an RCI fan about the tech-y issues on Quantum, those will be resolved. I'm much more concerned about the more systemic problems people are reporting -- diminished entertainment, the OP's note about the awkward setup for guests waiting for restaurants, etc.
NCL's beeper system allows you to comfortably wait until your table is ready without creating a "hostile" atmosphere for those waiting and prevents the crowding issues outside the restaurants. Not to have 2 lines for those with reservations vs. non reservations is just another irratation adding stress to the staff. Looks like RCCL needs to send everyone including their Chairman to the Disney school to learn how to do crowd control and keep passengers happy/amused while they wait.
MARAPRINCE
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Lack of variety -- same menu -- in the restaurants becomes a big issue on longer sailings. We took look forward to seeing what is on "tonight's menu" knowing if we do not like it, there's the "always available" to fall back on.
Not a fan of changing dining rooms to get different meals. Also, do not want to eat 3 meals a day in the WJ to get a variety of food offerings.
Electronics are great when they work. To send this ship out to the market without first testing it was a big gamble. Where's the redundancy that should have been built into the ship just in case? What happens during a hurricane or extremely rough seas? Bumper cars rolling around, most of the outside gizmos not working, etc.
Glad we decided not to do the 12/1 sailing we were booked on. We thought with a new ship most of the problems would be sorted out and crew/staff would be a cohesive unit.
MARAPRINCE
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Does any one know what size laptop / notebook / IPad will fit inside these safes ???
Joy
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So not enough closet space for 3 ladies sailing together!:(
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But as mentioned before, if people are willing to pay to be the "first people" aboard, then they will continue to do this. These 2/3 nights were offered to journalists but many had previously been on the UK based journalist cruise when not everything was ready.
IMO, this should not have been marketed as a "revenue" sailing. That is where the problem started. Industry people expect everything to not be perfect and they are sailing for all intensive purposes as free guests; paying passengers aren't as tolerant, nor should they be. You want my honest feedback, then be prepared to take the good with the bad since I am a paying passenger. Comp me for what isn't working properly and I'll feel that you actually care about my opinion and will try to make things better going forward. Otherwise, you just come off as greedy and trying to make as much profit as possible to offset startup expenses.
MARAPRINCE
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How is it ridiculous? Do you expect these crew to just walk on a ship and be able to cope with 4000+ people?
Do you expect technology to just cope with 4000+ people?
Every business that deals with the public do some kind of stress test and the businesses that don't, generally have problems (read: London Heathrow Terminal 5 baggage problems)
Normally, "shake down" cruises are offered to TA's for either just the port charges (free) or at a substantially reduced rate, ship suppliers (rugs, furniture, etc.), others in the travel industry to promote the ship once they are back at home, etc. Rarely would a cruise line charge the actual rates since gliches are to be expected. Purpose is to give the crew/staff experience with live passengers to see what works and what needs to be tweaked.
MARAPRINCE
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When Mariner moved to China last year, most of the remodelling was done enroute. Depending on the intensity of the work and impact on passenger enjoyment, various levels of OBC were given to passengers on the different sectors.
They must "like" giving out OBC!!!!!
That much work has to be a real spoiler for the cabins affected by the noise, dust and the disruption of normal activities during the sailing.
Not something I would want to endure. :eek:
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100% agree. I have also attended many traditional Chinese dinners encompassing most of their regional styles. The one thing they all have in common is that the majority of people like to eat in large groups and have a very wide selection of dishes to choose. The host and a few others will normally spend a fair amount of time selecting and will continue to order more if people are still eating.
Most of their drinking also takes place at meal times with constant toasting. Thee meal and drinking will probably take longer than the current allocated time that western diners take.
Will be interesting how RCL approach this or if they expect that the locals will adapt to a more western style of Asian dining.
With the prices RCCL is charging the expectations, based upon the statements that the head of RCCL has made, they have a lot to live up to. The first revenue cruise in China will have to perform a whole lot better than the US version has done or else face major passenger complaints. The OBCs given due to non working aspects of the sailing alone will wipe out any potential profits to their shareholders.:(
RCCL has to remember that they are competing with established local Chinese cruise lines that have a loyal base. If they want an American/Chinese experience rather than a traditional Chinese experience, then RCCL will be okay.
MARAPRINCE
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The important thing is that Carnival now has them. Who cares what they look like...as long as they kick in when needed.
If that is how you make decisions.......
MARAPRINCE
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I agree... as long as the ship doesn't look sold out (there is a website that shows availability that I can't name)... I've been seeing that 40-30 days out the prices drop DRASTICALLY. Princess used to be bad about this (I don't know if they still are)...so now it's Royals turn.
It seems to go in cycles. One cruise line gets a loyal following, starts changing things and ups their rates...then run their loyal cruisers to other lines...then start the cycle all over again with discounting to get cruisers back.
Our THANKSGIVING cruise (NOS) was selling JS category cabins for 2000 pp at one point. NO WAY!!! A reasonable price would have been 1049 pp, IMO. Within the 45-30 period, prices dropped to a reasonable 1199 pp for that category...and I also saw a steal for an outside stateroom at 349 pp.
Having said all of that the Allure and Oasis are always priced higher...BUT, I have also gotten last minute rates on those two ships for outside balcony rooms around 900 pp...in September
& November.
Travel agencies do hold big blocks of cabins that are released once the final payment date has passed.
Sailing in the Caribbean is not like doing a TA crossing with 5 or more sea days loaded with lots of activities and opportunities to spend money on board. You will probably be in a port a day and spend very little time in your cabin except to change clothes and sleep.
For that amount of money, I would expect one of the best cabins, all my tips included, along with a fair amount of drinks/shore excursions.
RCCL tried to do the same thing on the Explorer and was asking over $3,500 per person at one point.
Another reason for higher than usual pricing is that RCCL pushed hard to get the non US cruisers who will pay them based upon Euro pricing which works out to be much, much higher than US passengers are willing to pay. They will pay $40 or $50 dollar for some liquours (they feel are a bargain)
that US passengers will not pay more than $25 for! All of this serves to drive pricing up artificially. Just don't play their game. Either hold out or sail with another line.
MARAPRINCE
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My wife is type 1 diabetic and a size 10 and manages her sugar levels very well.
If you really need carbs for emergencies then relying on room service is a very bad plan.
When you need to increase your sugars a 30 minute wait for a burger isn't the best idea.
How about keeping some bananas from Windjammer in your cabin instead ?
I travel with 2 diabetic cabin mates...one on insulin and one not. The one on insulin failed to eat enough to off set the insulin she took before dinner. While we were in the dining room of the QE2 waiting for our appetizers to be delivered, she started to blank out almost falling out of her chair with her hand unable to hold onto her water glass. I alerted the Maitre'd to what was happening and a nurse and wheelchair came to the dining room ASAP. Before they took her to Medical, the nurse tried to stablize her along with the Maitre'd. She was kept over 4 hours in Medical and was checked out by the doctor before she was allowed to return to the cabin. As soon as she did, we made sure to get food from room service.
Ever since then, we always try to insure that when taking her insulin she eats enough to hold her until we get served in the dining room.
MARAPRINCE
Rotational Dining coming to Quantum
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
RCL might as well as just billed this as an "order/pick up" fast food option that is located outside of the main 24 hr. Lido buffet. Calling it J. Rockets is just an insult!
I'm sure any consultants that RCL used to help them make all the dining/food changes must be laughing all the way to the bank. How could they seriously think changes of this magnitude would be warmly received or go off without major issues?
Now they are preparing to deal with a huge cultural change when the ship goes to China. Who is really advising RCL's upper management....their competition?:confused:
MARAPRINCE